Broom-corn booter.



B. TITIS.

BROOM CORN BQOTER. I APiLIoATIoN rILBD JAVN.3,"1912.

1,036,030, Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

,5e/yawn) 757s N B. TITUS.

BRooM com BooTERr.

APPLICATION I'ILBD JAN.3, 1912.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nve/ntoz B. TITUS. Blwonav CORN BooTL'.

APPLICATION IILED JAH. 3, 1912 1,036,030. Patented Aug. 2o, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. i? f/ ma UNITED STATES BENJAMIN TITUS. OF VELLVILLE, VTRGNIA.

:BROOM-CORN BOOTER.

1 ,036,030, Specification ot' Application filed January 3 To all whom it may concern.'

lle, it. known thaty l'. BEXJMHN Trims. a citizen of the United States, residing atl 'ellville. in the county of ottoway and State of Virginia. have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in lli-oom Corn Booters, of whieh the following ie speeitieation. i

The present invention relate@ to a novel maehine for threshing broom corn and pre paring it tor une.

A@ hroom corn grows there is a @mail leal or .sheath known as the hoot at the hase ot l eaeh tassel. At the present time the ordil ilary method of removing thi@v hoot i,- liv hand. and this is a ver)Y Slow and tedious process where a large amount ot broom eorn is to be prepared for use.

One of the ohjeets of the present invention has aeeordingly been to provide a mat-lime whieh embodies novel feature` otl construe I tion wherehy the e boots are antoniatirall; removed from the tassels as the) paw i through the machine.

further olijeet of the. invention has heen to provide a maehine which will operate autoniatitally to ent ofthe Stalkeloe to the hoot. to .strip the hoot from the tassel, and to re l move the seeds from the tassel, there-hv leavA ing.: the tassel in condition tor n e when it emerges from the Inaehine.

'ith these and other olijee in view. the t invention eoneiwts in certain nowl eoinliiirr tiom and arrangenient.\` ot' the part a will more l'nllv appear an the deaeription proeeeds. the novel featnreh thereotl leitfg' perm ed out in the appended Claims.

l" ,r a full understanding of the invention. .-terenee is to he had to the followingr deeription and aeeonilntnying drawing ins which l `ignre 1 is a side elevation ot' a hroonij vorn threshing' maehine eon truet ul in ae eordanee with the invention. Fig'. l i a top plan view ot' the same. Figi'. a transverse Hei-tional view on the line S VIl ol lt'ilg'. 2. Fig. 4V in an enlarged longitudinal etetional view through the forward end ottl tlle Hnnhiite on the line #il of lflg. '1. i i z a diagranllnatie top plan view \ho\vj the relative positions ot the xariom part :Uitl lilla' ifi if :t

. dtwignntee the w Lettere Ptnt- Patented A ug'. 24B. tl 51.

. 1912. Serial No. 669.195.

detail View \-l- =\;i'r ine man ner vl .,ppl'ving; power t-E the nuo, lizne rondine' and lilte par\ e rel'erre: to in the following deft ription andA in all the viewa ot the drawing# l1), if referewe elntrartew.

if; nfii'litz' tlv-Vr'il'ing' lln pre ept ein lea intent ie inwnion. the .nunmal l aline' l'ranze drente-f1 l' .mo wenn witten lahe 2 in torni-tl at one et... et"

npon i i aallle a flieg' are leo whine, he upper reaelieav oi' a -erie ol' lltllr Ui' Illllllh i pibe brei' tilt lmp till ilu' t lalvle and are driven in urli :i diret-lion as i l the hrm-in eorn to the vulling4 :mippine. unil threfihing meelmninn. 'l`he e elnon l pass around fqnoflvet; l upon a pair et. tranveiwe hath 7 whieli are raiitalilj.' jotn'naletil upon the trame. In its, initial movement upon the talde 2 lrv the eltailn Il. the vorn is brought hetwaien a printf aetni pre-s er lmr ti and toothed eliain or the Kaid lire er la ind tottl'iwl elain o pwiivr-lv grip the oi n and loll it nrnlnv in prf-per p/oien a-- -t -l prpiwt 5': wippor'fi ne :elatwn to lie "nth z let-vw to diri-et the .i-talm ot the la'ooio vorn into enf .Leon-m' with die rotte. that tliev are wverefl tlnerelvv li. thi.-D wnnef'tion, it nizrv lie noted that. a indiand.

rati-d more elearlv lr. lig. L". the ln-ooin eorn l f pla( ed upon the talile L) in sut-l a manner it n advanetd to tl.= ruiter 1;?. the i t t. the Loin will oe wv-eo flore to i liter the eorn ha.`4 heen operv :ite'l 1pm lrv the "utter l?. it :itlvrlin'etl ovvi ille lalvle until the evered end thereof rf. it Into elrnmgelnent will: the altipl. ll?. 'l`lie\fe trio une' roll4 revolve ping; ro.

in opposite directions and cooperate witl each other to grip the boot 15 and pull it longitudinally from the rear end ot' the;

tassel. lt will be observed that the stripping rolls are .substantially frusto-conical in shape and that tht` reduced ends thereof diverge from each other toward the feed end of the machine to provide a mouth for the entrance of the booted end of the tassel.

At the rear end of the table 2, the broom corn passes between a second presser bar 17 and second toothed belt or chain 18. the said toothed chain passing around a sprocket 1t' upon the rear shaft 5, and also around a sprocket,k 20 at the rear of the machine. This toothed chain is offset, laten ally toward one `side of the machine so as to grip the corn tassels at the extreme end thereof from which the boot has just been stripped. Upon the continued movement of the tassels, they are brought between the toothed threshing rolls 21 which revolve in opposite 'lirections and operate `to remove the. seed and like from 'the fibers of the tassels so as to prepare the tassels for use. These threshing rolls are inclined with respect to the path of the broom corn and are arranged so as to act first upon the ends of the tassels and gradually work in toward the bases of the tassels. After passing between the threshing rolls, the. broom corn is discharged from the machine in condition for use.

It will be observed that the teeth 22 of the chain or belt 18 project upwardly on opposite sides of the presser bar 17 so as to insure a firm grip upon the corn. It will also be observed that both the presser bar 6 and the presser bar 17 are held yieldingly in position by means of spring strips 23 secured to the supporting frame 1, and that. the presser bars are thus enabled to accom modate themselves to varying thicknesses of material which may pass through the .machine. lThe spring strips Q3 may be curved, as in the present instance so as to provide guides for directing the corn between the presser bars and the toothed chains. 'Power is applied to the threshing rolls from any suitable source, and from these threshing rolls it is transmitted to the other moving parts of the machine,

Referring to Fig. G, the numeral 24 designates a drive beltA which may be connected to any suitable source of power. The upper portion of the drive belt passes around an idler Q5 and is then brought rearwardly and around a pulley 26 upon the upper threshing rol] 21. The belt then passes around a similar pulley Q7 upon the lower threshing roll Q1, the two threshing rolls being thus revolved in opposite directions. .lit the rear end of the machine, one of the threshing rolls is provided with a pulley 2S which engages an 'endless belt f2.9, the said endless l belt passing around the guide rolls 30 and 41 and engaging a pulley 3Q upon the rear shaft This shaft 5 serves to drive the toothed chains. 7 and 1S, as well as the r0- tary cutter 12 which is applied to the shaft 11. The shaft 5 is connected by the bevel gearing 33 to a shaft 84 which is connected by the gearing 35 to a parallel counter shaft 36 arranged above the same. The two ,shafts 3l and 35 thus revolve in opposite directions and these shafts have chain and sprocket connections 37 with the stripping rolls 1t`3. lt will thus be obvious that it iS merely necessary to apply power to the threshing rolls, all of the other movable parts of the machine being geared With these rolls so as to be actuated thereby.

1n the operation of the device, the broom corn is placed upon the table 2 so as to be carried by the chains Il into engagement with the presser har t3 and toothed chain 7. As soon as thel corn is thus securely gripped by the presser bar and toothed chain, the stalk is cut otf close to the boot by means of the cutter 12. A continued movement of theI corn then brings the booted end of the tasscl into engagement with the stripping rolls 1( which serve to remove the boot from the tassel. The corn then passes out of engagement with the toothed chain 7 and presser bar f3 and into engagement With a second presser bar 17 and toothed chain 18 which positively grip the end of the corn which has just had the boot removed therefrom. The tassels are then brought in`to engagement with the threshing rolls which operate upon the same in the usual manner to remove all seed and the like therefrom.

Vfn further explanation of the invention embodied in the structure herein described, it should be observed that the present invention provides for a booting l operation that supplements the action of a, specially designed broom-corn harvester forming the subject matter of my related application tiled January 3,1919` Serial )10.669,194. As far as l am aware, no machine has been heretofore devised for removing the boot at the base of the tassel end of broom-corn stalks and aty the same time threshing out the tassel so as to place the same in proper condition for use in the manufacture of brooms. Consequently, it has not been profitable to harvest standing broom-corn stalks in the field by machinery on account of the necessity for a second handling by hand for the cutting off of the boot at the base of the tassel`r and the usual practice has been to simply eut by hand the tassel ends trom standing broom-corn stalks in the field. .\erordingly, the present invention is of very practical importance in connection with a harvesting machine of the kind re- 1 ferred to thatr ill not only cut down brooml corn stalksy of any height in the field but at the same time will also provide for cutting otf the tassel ends of subsequently uniform lengths with the boots attached for subsequent removal by the machine forming the subject mattei' of the present application.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A n'lachine for removing the boots from broom corn, including means for moving the broom corn tassels through the machine, a rotary cutter for severingr the' stalk close to the boot, and cooperating boot stripping ele- Incnts engaging the end of the stalk that has been cut, and having means for stripping the boot from the stalk.

2. A machine for removing the boots from broom corn, including cooperating boot stripping rollers, and means for holding the broom corn transverseliv of the rollers and feeding the same to v.he stripping rollers, said boot .st-ripping rollers located at one side of said holding and feeding means.

3. A machine for removing the boots from broom corn, including a pair of cooperating frusto-conical stripping rolls` arranged with their smaller ends converging from each other to provide a mouth for the entrance of the booted end of the broom corn tassels, and means for holding the broom corntransversely of t-he rollers and feeding the same to the stripping rollers, said boot stripping rollers located at one side of said holding and feeding means.

4. A machine of the character described, including a conveyer for moving broom corn tassels through the machine, means cooperating with the cenveyer to grip the broom corn tassels, a cutter for severing the stalks close to the booted ends of the tassels, and stripping rolls subsequently operating upon the booted ends of the tassels for removing the boots therefrom.

5. A machine of the character described, including a toothed conveyer belt, a presser bar cooperating with the conveyor belt to securely grip the corn tassels, a cutter arranged in the path of the tassels for severAA ymg the stalks close to the boot, and stripping rolls arranged in the path of the booted ends of the tassels for subsequently removing the boots therefrom.

t5. A machine of the character described, including a conveyer, means coiiperatingl with the conveyer to grip the broom corn tassels and move t-hem through the n'iachine, means for l,cutting otf the stalks and strippingthe boots from the tassels, a second con- -veyer receiving the tassels from the firstconueyer, means coperating with the second conveyor to grip the ends of the tassels from which the boots were previously stripped.

l'. A machine of theicharacter described, including a supporting frame, a toothed conveyer, a presser bar coperating with the toothed conveyer to grip the corn tassels and carry them through the machine, a rotary cut-ter upon the frame, guide means for bringing the stalk ends of the tasscls into engagement with |the rotary cutter whereby the stalks are severed close to the boots, and cooperating stripping rolls subsequently receiving the booted ends of the tassels for removing the boots therefrom.

8. A machine of the character described, including a supporting frame, a conveyer thereon, means cooperating with the conveyer to grip broom corn tassels and carry them through the machine, a cut-ter ar ranged in the path of the tassels for severing the stalks close to the boots, cooperating stripping rolls arranged in the path of the booted ends of the tassels for stripping the boots therefrom, a second ('onveyer receiving the tasscls from the first convcyer, means cooperating with the second conveyer to grip the ends of the Ybroom corn which was pre viously acted upon by the boot'stripping rolls.

9. A. machine of the character described, includinga supporting frame, a table portion upon the supporting frame, movable belts upon the table portion, a toothed conA veyer also mounted upon the'table portion and receiving the broom corn .tassels from the moving belts, a presser bar cooperating with the toothed conveyor to grip the broom corn, a cutter arranged in the path of the broom corn for severing the stalk close to the boot, and stripping rolls also arranged in the path of the broom corn for engaging the booted ends of the tasscls and rcmovii the boots therefrom.

10. A machine of the character descrilmd. including a supporting frame, a pair of transverse shafts upon the supporting frame, endless belts driven by the transverse shafts, a third transverse shaft, a conveyer passing around the third transverse. shaft and one of the first mentioned transverse shafts, means cooperating -with the conveyor belt to grip the bro-om corn which is brought thereto by the before l'nentioned belts. a rotary cutter upon the third transverse shaft for severing the stalks of the tassels close to the boots, a pair of cooperating stripping rolls arranged in the path of the booted ends of the tassels for removing the boots therefrom, gearingA between the stripping rolls and one of the transverse shafts, and means for driving the said transverse shaft.

1l. A machine of the character described, including a supporting frame, a pair of transverse shafts upon the supporting frame, endless belts passing around the transverse shafts, a third transverse shaft., a conveyebelt extending around the third transna'se shaft and one of the pair of transverse shafts, means cooperating with the conveyor belt t0 grip the tassels, a rotary cutter upon the third transverse shaft for severing the stalks close to the boots, coperating stripping rolls arranged in the path of the booted ends of the tassels for stripping the boots therefrom, a guide member, a second con-v wyer belt passing around the guide member and one of the pair of transverse shafts, the said second conveyer receiving the corn tassels from the first conveyer, means coperating with the second conveyer to grip the ends of the tassels from which the boots have been stripped, and gearing between the stripping rolls and one of the transverse shafts, and means for driving the said transverse shaft.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses. BENJAMIN TITUS. Witnesses:

CHARLES TITUs, AMELIA TI'rUs. 

